Prosperity Benefits for Working Georgians

1. The Earned Income Tax Credit and Advance EITC
   

   Created in 1975 as an antipoverty program, the EITC is a refundable tax credit for individuals earning moderate to low incomes. The EITC not only reduces the amount of federal income taxed owed by a qualifying taxpayer, but if no income taxes are owed, it returns money to the taxpayer in the form of a refund check, thereby supplementing their wages. Click here to learn about the EITC and the AEITC

2. Get your taxes done for FREE
   Tax preparation services will be available beginning January, 2008.
   When you go to the FREE tax preparation location and apply for your tax credits, bring the following:
   • A Social Security card for EACH family member, and
   • All items listed that apply to you or your family:
     • W-2 forms for all jobs worked in 2004
     • All 1099 forms for other income, if any
     • Child care provider name, address, and tax ID number
     • Any other tax-related documents you have received
     • Voided bank check for automatic deposit
     • A copy of last year's return.
   
   
3. Food Stamps
   

   Food Stamps are actually no longer "stamps", but today come in the form of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that you use like a credit or debit card at your local grocery store to buy food. The amount of money you will receive each month depends on your household size and income.Click here to learn more about Food Stamps.

4. Individual Development Accounts for Home Ownership (from United Way website)
   

   The United Way Individual Development Account (IDA) for Homeownership program is a matched savings account program designed to provide financial education, promote citizen involvement and foster asset accumulation for low-to-moderate-income households seeking to purchase their first home. Once enrolled in the program, United Way IDA for Homeownership participants save money over a defined period of time-6-24 months (depending on the program)-while simultaneously attending financial literacy classes where they learn saving strategies, address credit or debt issues, and discuss what it means to be a responsible homeowner. Click here to visit the United Way Atlanta website for more information.

5. Habitat for Humanity

   Habitat for Humanity builds houses for first-time homebuyers and lets them pay back the cost over 25-30 years. Click here to learn more.

6. Get Checking (from Get Checking website)
   

   Get Checking TM is a national financial education program designed specifically to help consumers gain access to mainstream financial services and understand how to balance the checkbook and avoid fees. Get Checking is a six-hour class for individuals who are locked out of banking due to a NSF reported to ChexSystems by the former bank. Click here for more information on Get Checking Georgia.

   Several banks offer free checking and savings accounts. Benefits of opening checking accounts include; checks are safer than carrying cash, checks are cheaper than money orders, there are no limits on how many checks one can write in a month, and writing checks allows one to prove that a purchase was made.